Time, Love and Tenderness
by Komui-sama
Summary: Allen has lost his memories and is struggling to remember who he is and his purpose in life. Will his friends be able to return these memories that are lost to him or will the Earl finally win this raging war between Exorcist and Noah?
1. Prologue

**Disclaimer: I do not own D. Gray -Man.**

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><p><strong>Prologue<br>**

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><p>Rain fell from the sky, soaking anyone unfortunate enough to be outside at the time. Footsteps were pounding at the ground, stepping through puddles and mud as they ran further into a dense forest. The sun was imprisoned by the dark clouds, barely able to shine even a shed of light onto the land. A startled and confused golden golem flew as fast as its wings could carry him, trying to edge his companion to run faster. Without turning back, the two both knew that the world was now losing itself to the bitterness of shadows and sorrow.<p>

A white-haired boy continued on, gripping tightly onto his left arm which was torn open at his shoulder, bleeding profusely onto the ground where he stepped. Allen had no choice but to keep going. His friends made it clear that he was of no use in the battlefield, and if they were to lose, everything they were fighting to protect would be lost. He didn't take his eyes off of Timcanpy. The dark forest just seemed like a never-ending tunnel, Tim being the only light to guide the way.

Not far off in the distance where he was running from, was a large grassy clearing covered with blood from his companions. A young, Japanese exorcist that had a striking resemblance to a samurai swung his sword, activating third illusion: Sangenshiki. The machine standing before him known as Akuma, seemed amused, smirking as it edged closer to him. "You're really using up your own life to slay me? Exorcist?" it grinned.

Its eyes glowed red and it raised his right arm, powering up a giant ball of energy, getting ready to release its terrifying power.

"Look out!" a spiky red-haired boy called out, running in front to take the hit. Lavi raised his giant hammer to block, but it soon shattered, the force throwing him back into a tree, his body completely paralysing on impact. He felt each muscle go numb, yet the nerves allowed him to still feel pain.

"Baka!" Kanda yelled out in both rage and angst. He faced the Akuma and activated Nigentou, his sword now covering with a glow of energy, wrapping around him and creating a second blade on his sheath. Sparing no time, he unleashed Hakka Tourou, sending out his eight slashes in quick succession. The Akuma had no choice but to back off to avoid the attack. Instead of using this as an opening, Kanda ran towards Lavi, catching him just before he hit the ground face-first.

"Why the hell did you do such a stupid thing like that?" Kanda yelled.

"Heh… you're so clueless… Yuu" Lavi winced, blood dripping from the corner of his mouth. "You're my friend…"

"Tch! Bookmen aren't suppose to have friends!"

"…I guess I've still got a long way to go then."

Kanda's eyes narrowed and became filled with nothing but pure hatred towards the Akuma. He carefully laid Lavi down on his back and stood a few feet in front of him.

"Did I hit a nerve?" the Akuma grinned.

"I don't care if you are a level five Akuma… only one of us will be leaving this battle alive."

"Fuu? That's fine with me… Exorcista!" A smirk smeared across its face, reaching from ear to ear as large white feathered wings grew out of its back.

The Level 5 Akuma looked similar to its previous form, having the appearance of a child, though is shown to be a lot taller and its stomach is no longer bloated. The black star remained on the Akuma's stomach, but now had a much larger halo around its head with its wings stretching out, twice as long as its body - appearing like angel wings. Its head is now filled with a flock of white hair with the ends forming sharp blades reaching down to its waist. The Earl once hinted that the Level 4 was a stepping stone to something even more terrifying. Little did they know it would lead to this.

Despite its immense strength, the Level 5 is still bound to the Earl, however, unlike the Level 4, it no longer has to obey the other Noah members and has the will to choose if it wants to continue killing humans as their prey. Unfortunately, the Earl found a way to compensate for this fault by returning a single emotion that was once taken – pleasure. Not just any pleasure. The pleasure of killing. One kill is not enough to fill its desire; it must continue to kill, whether it be Human, Akuma, Exorcist or even an attempt to kill a Noah, it must kill or else it will tear itself apart.

"Once I've finished with you… I'll finally be able to taste my first Noah! The Fourteenth!"

The Akuma spread out its wings and flew to the sky. A white flash beamed across the land and everything fell silent.

Allen stopped in his tracks, turning around and watching in horror as everything behind him, trees, rocks, flowers – everything – vanished.

"No…" a tear came to his eye as he watched the light fade and the landscape look like a barren wasteland. "Kanda… Lavi…" he whispered. "Why? You didn't have to die… not for me. So why…"

Allen fell to his knees, no longer caring about running anymore. Tim flew down and desperately tugged on his shirt, but Allen just flicked him away, hanging his head down and letting the tears run. "WHY DID YOU DIE FOR ME?" he screamed.

For a while, silence filled the forest. The smell of salty tears and the tense atmosphere of sadness and despair were the only aspects one could feel.

A sudden gust of wind blew past Allen's face and a soft, familiar voice called out to him.

"Allen…" a woman's voice called out. Allen shot his head up, turning around and looking straight at Lenalee. Her uniform was torn and her legs were dripping with blood. Lots of blood. Cuts and scars were everywhere, her skin was even more pale than normal and Allen could already tell that she probably felt cold.

"Lenalee!" Allen exclaimed. He rose to his feet and ran towards her, ignoring the pain and wrapped his arms around her, hugging her tightly. "Please… Lenalee… run. Don't stay here… just run!"

"No…" she whispered, hugging him back. "I'm staying."

Allen kept her close for a moment before pulling away. His face was swollen and his eyes were red from the tears that recently poured down his face. "No. You can't die… not for me…"

"…Allen"

"Lenalee!" he yelled. "Kanda and Lavi. They're dead. I won't let you die too—"

Before Allen could finish his sentence, a sudden rush of pain filled his entire body. Blood sprayed out of his chest all over Lenalee, her face turning to horror. Allen looked down and saw a sharp blade rammed through his chest from behind. What felt like slow motion, the blade twisted around inside him, every nerve in his body feeling the pain.

"…Allen…" Lenalee managed to whisper, though the shock of what she saw took nearly all her breath away.

The blade suddenly pulled itself out of him, causing Allen to fall to his knees, eventually collapsing to his side.

_Is this what… dying feels like?_ He thought. _Will I never… see my friends again?_

The Akuma finally revealed itself from the shadows. "Was I interrupting something?" it said with a smug smile on its face. Its hair came to his mouth as he licked the blood off its tips. "The blood of Noah… I can taste it…"

"No!" Lenalee yelled. "Allen is not a Noah! He's an Exorcist!"

"Hmm? I thought I killed you already…"

"You… killed all my friends. You've killed… thousands of people, just for the pleasure of it. I…" a strong wind started swarming around Lenalee and her blood that was dripping from her legs gathered, reforming her crystallized boots. "I will not… let you live!"

It took Lenalee less than a second to jump and appear right before the Akuma's eyes. She swung back her leg and kicked the Akuma in the gut with full force. Before it even had time to breathe, Lenalee appeared behind it as it was being thrown through the trees. Once again, Lenalee pulled back her leg and kicked with all her might managing to damage and immobilize the Akuma's left arm that it was using to block.

"Shit!" the Akuma yelled, realizing that this Exorcist had been given so much strength after seeing the loss of her comrades. "You'll pay for your insolence!"

Flapping its wings, the Akuma took to the sky, getting lost amongst the dark clouds. Lenalee narrowed her eyes and jumped, flying into the sky close to the speed of light, however, she stopped before she reached the clouds. She felt a strong power swerve around her, and it didn't belong to her boots. The beginning of a white flash filled the sky and Lenalee quickly turned to make her escape… but for her, it was too late.

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><p><strong>Preview:<strong>

"I'm sorry miss, I… I don't quite remember your name."


	2. Annual Passing

**Disclaimer: I do not own D. Gray -Man.**

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><p><strong>Chapter 1: Annual Passing<br>**

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><p>"Mama!" a young boy called out. "He's waking up!"<p>

"Let me take a look… go wait in the other room Jeffery." The middle-aged woman replied. The boy smiled then quickly jumped off the small box he was using as a chair and ran off.

Allen fluttered his eyes open but his vision was still blurry, so all he could see were dark figures and shapes. The woman placed a wet cloth on his forehead, waiting until he properly regained consciousness and could speak for himself. It didn't take very long, as Allen was a very strong boy, especially considering his age.

"W-Where am I?" he spoke weakly.

"You're safe now. There is nothing to worry about." The woman said as she gently brushed her fingers across his cheek to give him some sort of comfort. "Please wait here; I will go get you some tea. Why don't you try sitting up? It may help…"

Allen smiled, gesturing that he had heard her. He waited until the woman left before slowly sitting up. His head was still pounding and his body felt incredibly stiff. It took him a few goes, but eventually Allen was able to sit up and lean against the wall the bed was pushed against.

He had a quick look around the room he was currently in. It was very small, no bigger than an average sized bathroom. The only things that could fit in there was a single bed, pushed up against the wall on both its side and back with a wooden stool used as a bedside table to the left. The walls were painted maroon and had photographs hanging up on the walls full of colour and life, most being family photos and single portraits. To his right on the wall beside him was a small window a little higher above his head. It was slightly opened, letting in a small breeze keeping the room at a nice temperature.

Allen was lost in thought as he stared out the window at the sunny sky, only to be quickly startled by a dog barking at the door. He shot his head around and saw a black spotted, brown German Shepherd sitting on the floor, waiting patiently for something.

"Hello there…" Allen said kindly, putting his arm out, curious if the dog would approach for a pat.

Turns out, it did. The dog was very calm, obviously well-mannered. Allen smiled as he continued to pat and scratch the dog all around its head. The dog poked its tongue out from enjoyment.

"He loves a good scratch under the chin…" the woman's voice called out from the hall.

Allen looked up, finally getting a proper look at the lady. She was wearing an auburn coloured jacket, buttoned up at the front tucked in at her waist by her grey ankle-length skirt. Her silky black hair was tied up in a high pony-tail using a ribbon the same colour as her shirt. She appeared as though she was around her late thirties, early forties, not wearing any make-up, but her sky blue eyes still shone brightly, making her still appear both young and beautiful.

"I'm sorry miss, I… I don't quite remember your name."

She chuckled softly. "You wouldn't know it either… we've never met before. My name is Annabelle. Annabelle Harsh."

"It's nice meeting you, Miss Annabelle. Thank you for taking care of me." Allen bowed softly.

"You're welcome. May I know your name?"

"Allen Walker"

The dog barked, turning both their attention to the dog as it put its paws up on Allen's bed, tongue hanging out. Allen and Annabelle laughed softly.

"This is Leo… do not worry about him. He is more playful than violent… he wouldn't even harm a fly." Annabelle smiled.

Allen also smiled, but it soon disappeared as he looked down, staring into his left palm. His entire arm was red; almost looking burnt or scarred. It also had a star-shaped mark on the front. He almost shrieked from the sight of it, but tried to stay calm in the presence of Annabelle. It looked familiar, but he had no idea why his arm was like that.

"Do you remember anything… Allen-san?"

Allen quickly turned his head back to Annabelle. "I… I don't. I know my name… but… I can't remember anything else. Can you please tell me… who am I?"

Annabelle's eyes widened. She was definitely shocked by his question and had to take a second to compose herself. "A-Allen-san… I'm afraid. I can't tell you…"

"Why?"

"Because… I do not know either…"

"W-What?"

She sighed and took in a deep breath. Her smile too vanished and she appeared more calm and serious than before. "You have been asleep for almost a year now… my son found you collapsed on the main road that leads to our farm. You were covered in injuries. We weren't sure what happened, but, when we brought you inside, you mumbled something, but…" Annabelle sighed again, looking down from his face. "I'm not quite sure what you said… I'm very sorry."

Allen looked forward for a moment then spoke. "No, it's alright. I'm the one who should be sorry… I must've been a lot of trouble…"

"No, it's quite alright. I'm glad I was able to nurse you back to health… do you feel better?"

"Yes… Arigatou."

Annabelle smiled again, handing over the tea she was still holding in her hand. Allen took it and sipped it, slowly drinking its contents. It was warm. It felt good as he swallowed it. His throat was no longer dry and his headache disappeared. Although it was tea, it felt like some sort of medicine. "Thank you, it was lovely."

"You're welcome."

"Mama! Mama!" the boy ran in.

Allen watched as he pulled at his mother's shirt, trying to get her attention. He was very small, probably only six or seven years old. He had silky black hair like his mothers, short in length, coming down just past his ears. He had soft brown eyes and his skin was a little more pale than Annabelle's. Allen guessed he took after his father in that aspect.

"What is it son?" she said, looking down at him.

"The chickens escaped again…"

"Ughh… not again. Jeffery, keep Allen company whilst I'm gone." She quickly turned and began running. "Come on Leo!" she called out. Leo got off and ran after her. Allen heard as the back door swung open then slammed shut as she ran outside.

"Hello Mister. My name is Jeffery." The boy said, sitting on the box once again, smiling up at Allen.

"Hello Jeffery. You can call me Allen."

"My daddies name was Allen." He smiled.

"Really?"

"Yup! He was a farmer and met my mummy when he got sick with the flu! She was a nurse back then…"

Allen chuckled as he watched the boy talk about his family. He seemed so energetic. He took another look at the photos on the walls, realising that the portraits were of him and his family. They looked so happy together.

"Where is your daddy now?" Allen asked curious.

"Mummy said that daddy went to a special place…"

"…a special place?"

"Yup! It's called heaven… if you're a good person, you get to go there. Mummy says it's the happiest place in the world!"

Allen slightly froze, realising what the boy was talking about. Annabelle must of told him that story so he was less hurt by the truth of it all. Without changing his face, Allen put on a smile and laughed with the boy. The last thing he wanted to do was to get both of them upset…

A sudden loud noise was heard outside. It sounded like a pile of boxes falling over.

"GET BACK HERE!" the screams of Annabelle called out.

Jeffery began laughing hysterically, falling off the box and landing on the floor, not that he seemed to care. Allen moved, ignoring the pain and peaked out the window. He saw Annabelle holding a large cage, chasing three chickens that were currently running away from her. Leo jumped out from behind the wall, cornering them, but the chickens ignored the dog and just ran underneath his feet. Leo looked a little stunned.

"Quickly! Chase them Leo!" she exclaimed.

Leo jumped and started chasing them once again. Annabelle was slowing down, running out of breath. Without realising it, the chickens and Leo ran in a large circle, coming up behind her. The three chickens ran underneath her skirt, lifting it up with the wind…

"Whoa!"

Leo then came charging underneath her, tripping her over, continuing to chase the chickens. Annabelle fell backwards, landing in a puddle of mud. Allen quickly ducked his head; covering his mouth as he tried to hide is laughter.

"Does this happen often?" he snickered.

Jeffery nodded. "Since daddy left, no one has been able to fix the door on the chicken hut, so they usually escape from time to time and mummy has to go chasing them…"

"Oh?"

"Yup." He smiled.

The two boys heard the door swing open and saw Annabelle drag herself in with her clothes covered in mud, and white chicken feathers covering her garments.

"Did you catch them mama?" Jeffery asked, snickering.

"…Leo chased them back in the hut and is guarding the door." She hissed.

Allen couldn't help but chuckle at the sight of her. "Excuse me… Miss Annabelle." He said softly, trying to hide his laughter.

"Yes?"

"If I fix the door to the chicken hut… do you think I could stay here? At least until I get a little bit of my memory back?"

Annabelle leaned against the wall, putting her hand to her chin, thinking. She looked down at her son and smirked. "Only if Jeffery says yes. He's the man of the house now…"

Jeffery's eyes widened before he turned back to face Allen. "Yes, yes, yes!" he said, jumping up and giving him a hug. "I've never had a big brother before…"

Allen smiled, tilting his head and wrapping one arm around him to return the hug. "Then I will be the best big brother you've ever had…"

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><p>"Ah-Ah—ACHOO!" Komui sneezed.<p>

"You alright Nii-san? You're not getting sick are you?"

"No no, I'm alright Lenalee-chan. I think someone is talking about me…"

"Tch. Who the hell would talk about you? You're nothing but an annoying older brother…" Kanda butt in.

"Kanda!" Lenalee pouted, hitting him over the head with the tray she once carried the coffee mugs on.

He growled under his breath before turning away quickly to avoid her face. "Aren't you sending us on a mission already?" he snapped, growing impatient.

Komui sat back in his chair of his office and fixed his glasses, pushing them up so he could see better.

A year had passed since that fateful day, and no one really understood what happened. After seeing the white light in the sky, Lenalee passed out, eventually waking up in the infirmary of Black Order along with Lavi and Kanda. Unfortunately, the only remains they found of Allen was his silver decorated mask that appeared whenever he activated Crown Clown.

Komui explained to them that they were lucky to be alive. After a visit to Hevlaska, she revealed that Allen's innocence had disappeared, thus they presumed that he was dead.

Lenalee never gave up hope, believing that Allen was still alive, but after six months, she began to let her hopes fade. She questioned herself whether or not she was just putting too much faith in someone that was gone. It took her a while to grasp hold of reality again, but she eventually found the strength to continue. She decided she would never give up hope, and to cherish the memories she once had. It may not have looked like it, but both Kanda and Lavi were doing the same in their own ways.

A lot has changed since then. Bookman has been frequently disappearing for long periods of time; even Lavi didn't know where he disappeared to. The Special Inspector, Malcolm C. Lvellie has issued for Link and several other assistant members of Central to be posted in Black Order, bringing updates to Central whenever a new Exorcist arrives or a strange occurrence happens.

Of course, this disturbed the natural flow of things. Everything became more strict and there appeared to be no time to relax. Black Order, what the Exorcists, Finders and even Scientists once called their home… was now becoming a prison.

"You are bound to the Order. Once you make this pledge, you are forbidden to leave. If you attempt to escape, you will be deemed a traitor and hunted down and killed."

That was the pledge Inspector Lvellie ordered everyone of the Order to take. In one sense, it was lucky Allen was gone. He didn't have to see his home become riddled with darkness. Komui did his best to stop the changes, but even he couldn't go against Central's words. He too was bound to them, and as long as Lenalee was there, he swore never to do anything that would bring her grief, even if it meant doing things he himself regretted.

There was still the case of the Level 5 Akuma. No one knows what happened that day Allen, Lenalee, Kanda and Lavi fought it. They presumed it was killed along with Allen, but no one was certain.

"The Earl continues to toy with us… doesn't he?" Lenalee questioned softly.

Kanda and Komui looked towards her, though they said nothing. The room was silent until Reever opened the door to Komui's office, breaking the silence as he had an urgent notice for them…

"Komui-san… something's happened… a finder has returned, but he looks as though he has been poisoned by an Akuma." Reever called out.

"What?" Komui stood up and quickly followed Reever down the stairs to the front entrance. Curious, Kanda and Lenalee followed.

Making their way through a crowd, they saw a few guards pinning the Finder against a pillar, pointing their weapons at his neck. Link was standing by, writing notes in his book, preparing a report for Lvellie. Komui stopped a few feet away, shocked at the sight of him.

The Finder had one stigmata mark on his forehead, his skin as pale as the moon. His eyes were black and on his entire right side of his body, Akuma star marks were spreading.

"How did he get past the gatekeeper?" Komui asked.

"Apparently he was fine until he stepped inside the Order…" Reever answered.

"Exor…cists…" the Finder spoke. His voice was sketchy, sounding almost as if he had two voices. It was much deeper than usual, giving an ominous feeling to everyone. Something wasn't right… why was he not dead from the poison yet?

"What happened?" Komui asked the Finder, sounding more serious and up front.

"A terrible darkness… is about to give birth to evil… unless you give us… Allen Walker… you will all die…"

"Allen Walker?" Reever questioned softly to himself.

"Allen Walker is dead. We cannot help you with that request. The Earl should know that…" Komui replied.

"You are wrong…"

"Wrong?"

"…Allen Walker… lives… he will—"The Finder suddenly exploded, turning to dust as his body hit the floor.

Everyone had to take a step back, most covering their faces, coughing from the dust that spread around them. Komui, Reever, Lenalee and Kanda heard everyone whisper around them. The Earl was trying to get under their skins again. One wrong move and it could mean the end for the Exorcists. Without saying anything, Link took off. Komui suspected he was going to send in a report to Lvellie.

"Reever-san, bring Kanda and Lenalee to my lab. Make sure no one follows…" Komui whispered before stepping out in front of everyone. "This is no time to question yourselves. Allen Walker is dead. Do not let the Earl play us for fools… if we let him get to us, we will lose this war."

Reever turned around and tapped Kanda and Lenalee on the shoulders before heading off in a different direction. They looked at each other before following discretely behind.

Lenalee knew her brother was planning something, something which would probably go against the rules, but if it meant something to him, she knew it would be important…

However, before they were able to find out what he was planning, an unsuspected friend showed up.

"Kanda! Lenalee!" Lavi called out, running up behind them. Reever too turned around, although he was a fair distance ahead, he could somewhat hear what they were saying.

"Lavi… what's wrong?" Lenalee asked concerned.

Lavi looked distraught. He was puffing a lot, obviously meaning he had to run a fair bit to find them. "Bookman…"

"Bookman?" Kanda and Lenalee said in unison.

"…Central. They're saying he's dead…"

"…what!"

"They say he was killed… by his own innocence."

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><p><strong>Preview:<strong>

"The Lion and the Mouse!"


	3. Morals

**Disclaimer: I do not own D. Gray -Man.**

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><p><strong>Chapter 2: Morals<strong>

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><p>"Nii-san! Nii-san! Nii-san!" Jeffery called out, grabbing onto Allen's arm and pulling him outside. "Look!"<p>

"Wow… it's amazing…" Allen said in awe.

The sun was setting over the horizon causing the sky to be a beautiful orange colour with the stars just beginning to shine through.

Right behind their small house was a large crop field where they grew wheat and sold it to neighbouring towns in exchange for food and supplies. Allen learnt that the main house was not their only home, but they also had a large barn at the edge of their farm where Jeffery always played. It was a gift to him from his father as he was the one who built it with his bare hands.

"Come on Nii-san! I'll show you to my castle!"

Allen giggled. "Okay, okay… let's go."

Heading into the large field, Allen followed on behind Jeffery who was leading him through a maze. Luckily for him, Jeffery knew exactly where he was going.

"Don't stay out too late boys!" Annabelle called out from the kitchen window of the house.

"We won't!" the boys replied.

After a long run, they finally made it to the barn. It was very big, traditional red with white boards, though the boards looked browner because they were rusting and gathering mould from its old age.

The duo went inside. Jeffery had set it up quite nicely. Letting go of Allen's hand, Jeffery ran over to a ladder where he quickly climbed up to the next level, sitting on a chair that was covered in hay with pitch forks sticking out on both sides like pillars or candle stands.

He kicked at the ground and a large flag he painted flopped down in front of Allen. On it was a large golden star and written in big black letters read "Jeffery's Castle". Pretty original but considering Jeffery was still young, it was cute.

"Bow down before your Prince!" he demanded.

Allen laughed then quickly dropped to his knees bowing a few times. "I bow down to the almighty Prince…" he said, playing along with the act. Jeffery then jumped up and pulled out a large stick from the wall. It looked similar to that of a sword, only wooden.

"I, Prince Jeffery, dub the Allen, first knight!"

"I live to serve you Prince."

The two giggled and Jeffery threw the wooden sword down, letting it land in front of Allen's feet.

"How shall I serve thee my lord?" Allen said as he picked it up.

Jeffery put his hand to his chin and thought for a moment. After taking a couple of minutes to think, his face beamed with a large smile. He quickly climbed back down the ladder and began heading for the door at the back of the barn. "Wait here Knight!"

Allen did as he was told and waited. He took the time to have a look around the barn. Hay was covering the entire floor and a few boxes were piled up on either side of the door. On all the walls were somewhat medium-sized windows that shed a small amount of light inside. Everything else was pretty basic, looking like any normal barn house you'd see at a farm.

Jeffery soon returned through the front door again, however, this time he was not alone.

Holding onto a rope, a goat followed on behind, baa-ing every few seconds.

"Who is this?" Allen asked.

"This is Tana-san. He's a fearsome knight… not afraid of anything!"

"Oh really?" Allen grinned.

"He will be your enemy!" Jeffery gleamed.

Allen nodded and held up the wooden sword in an en-guard stance. Jeffery smiled then quickly let go of the rope, closing the two large doors and ran back up to his 'throne'.

"Fight!" he beamed.

Allen couldn't help but laugh. Was he really about to fight with a goat? Even if it was just a play-fight, he did still feel a little ridiculous. All of a sudden he felt a large thud against his waist; the goat had actually charged, head butting him in the gut!

Allen fell to one knee, grabbing onto his stomach as the goat trotted off in victory.

"Come on Nii-san… you can do better than that!" Jeffery laughed. "One point to Tana!"

Allen scoffed and stood back up, raising the wooden sword. "Hah! I won't fall for the same trick twice!"

The goat baa-d and ran towards him, but Allen quickly moved to the side, however, the goat wasn't stupid. He continued running and jumped off the wall, running at full speed and head-butting Allen in the back, sending him rolling along the ground.

"Ow ow ow ow ow!"

"Hahahaha!" Jeffery laughed. "Two points to Tana!"

_This is ridiculous… I'm losing to a goat! That's impossible!_

Rising to his feet again, Allen took in a deep breath and turned around, facing the goat once again. It baa-d and charged towards him. This time Allen turned the sword to its side and blocked. The goat pushed with all its might, but Allen kept his feet firm onto the ground.

"Go Nii-san! You can do it!" Jeffery called out.

Allen used what little strength he had and pushed back, sending the goat flying and hitting the wall. It rose to its feet and charged again, Allen sidestepped but when it came rushing back, attacked, thrusting the sword between its horns and twisting it, sending Tana into a spin before finally letting go.

Tana went flying and landed in a stack of hay. He sunk through it in defeat, struggling to even get out.

Jeffery laughed his little heart out before climbing down his ladder and making his way over to Allen.

"Yay! Allen is now a full knight!" he exclaimed, fist pumping the air.

Allen smirked, happy to have won – despite the fact it was with a goat! He looked at Jeffery before reaching down and lifting him up with his arm.

"Now it's my duty to take care of the Prince!" he jokingly exclaimed, tossing the wooden sword to the ground.

Off in the distance the boys could hear Annabelle calling out for them. They took a look outside and realised it had gotten pretty late, so it was time for them to head back. Allen spun Jeffery around so he was now giving him a piggy-back ride as they made their way back home.

"Will my knight come and fight for Prince tomorrow?" Jeffery asked.

"Of course!"

With Jeffery's guidance, the two made it back to the house without getting lost and headed inside. As soon as they entered they could smell the sweet aroma of pork-belly soup. Allen drooled and immediately ran to the dinner table, anxiously waiting for food to arrive. Jeffery laughed and quickly ran over as well, sitting next to him, clapping his hands until Annabelle came.

"Calm down boys… food is here…" she said as she set four bowls on the table. The fourth bowl was much larger and had a ladle sticking out from it. "Help yourselves to seconds…" she said.

Once she took her seat, the three began slurping up their dinner. Allen managed to finish it in no time, already diving in for seconds. Leo barked from underneath the table with pleading eyes.

"No Leo!" Annabelle called out. "You've already had your dinner, no more!"

Allen and Jeffery chuckled. Although they felt sorry for him, the two couldn't pass up and risk getting caught. The soup was just too good to give away, even if it was for 'charity'.

"Miss Annabelle… this tastes delicious…"

"Thank you Allen. I'm glad you like my cooking."

Once again Allen slurped up every last drop from his bowl and dived in for thirds.

Jeffery and Annabelle were full just on their first, stunned by Allen's enormous stomach given his size.

"Your stomach is like a black hole…" Annabelle commented.

Allen simply smiled and continued eating. The mother and son waited until Allen finished before finally excusing themselves. Annabelle went to wash up whilst Jeffery lead Allen to his room where they could play with his toys. Once it began getting really late, Annabelle came in and instructed Jeffery to go to bed.

"But Mama… I'm not tired…" he yawned.

"It doesn't matter. Time for sleep. You can play with Allen and your toys tomorrow."

"Can you read me a story Mama?"

Annabelle sighed. "Will you go to sleep afterwards?"

"Yes. I promise!" he smiled.

Annabelle left for a moment then returned with a book that read "Aesop's Fables" on the front. "What would you like me to read Jeffery?"

"The Lion and the Mouse!"

"Aren't you sick of that story already?"

"Nope! It's my favourite one." He smiled. "And Nii-san hasn't heard it before… I want him to listen too!"

Annabelle looked over at Allen. He nodded in agreement. It was true, with his memories gone, Allen did not remember any stories that were told to him, if there were any, and so he was interested to hear about this small tale. Annabelle left the room once again and came back in with two cushions, handing one to Allen before placing the other on the floor where she sat down.

She opened the book and waited until Jeffery climbed into bed. Once he was all snug up, she began reading.

"Once when a Lion was asleep, a little Mouse began running up and down upon him; this soon wakened the Lion, who placed his huge paw upon him, and opened his big jaws to swallow him. "Pardon, O King," cried the little Mouse: "forgive me this time, I shall never forget it: who knows but what I may be able to do you a turn some of these days?" The Lion was so tickled at the idea of the Mouse being able to help him that he lifted up his paw and let him go. Sometime after, the Lion was caught in a trap, and the hunters who desired to carry him alive to the King, tied him to a tree while they went in search of a wagon to carry him on. Just then, the little Mouse happened to pass by, and seeing the sad plight, in which the Lion was, went up to him and soon gnawed away the ropes that bound the King of the Beasts. "Was I not right?" said the little Mouse. The Lion smiled back and quickly picked up the Mouse and ran away back to his home, grateful to the little Mouse's kind friendship."

When she finished the small fable she closed the book and looked over at her son. He laid gently on his pillow, eyes closed and his breathing soft and calm.

Allen smiled at her before standing up, fixing the blanket and tucking Jeffery in more. Annabelle also stood up, kissing her son on his forehead before picking up the two cushions and heading out of his room, Allen following behind her. Once the two returned to the living room, they were free to speak without waking him.

"That was a very good story…" Allen said.

"Yes. All these fables are very good stories. They all have morals in which I hope to teach my son."

"What was the moral of that story?"

"Little friends may prove greater than anything else."

_Friends…_ Allen sat down on the couch for a moment, still smiling though Annabelle could tell he had something on his mind.

_I wonder if I had any friends… whoever I am…_

Sitting down beside him, Annabelle put her arm around Allen and pulled him close, gently stroking his hair. He smiled and returned the hug.

"What's on your mind, Allen-san…" she said softly.

"I wonder… if I had any friends…"

Annabelle pulled away and looked down into his eyes. They looked sad. "Allen… I'm sure you had plenty of friends. I bet they miss you…"

He turned away to avoid her gaze. "They must not have been close friends… or else they would've been looking for me."

Annabelle narrowed her gaze and slapped Allen playfully across the head.

"Ouch!"

"Don't be saying things like that! I'm sure your friends have been searching for you; they may not have been able to find you, but that doesn't mean they're not looking. Besides… you can't think like that. Once your memories return, I'm sure you will realise what your true friends would've gone through to find you."

Allen slightly smiled and looked back up at her. He said nothing, but she knew he was thanking her. Silently he stood up and said goodnight, heading to his room to retire for the night. He tried imagining being happy. What his life was like before he lost his memories. Imagining himself amongst a group of friends, laughing, playing, and being there for each other. The thought stayed with him until he fell asleep, smiling slightly as he laid down on his small bed, imagining himself as the little mouse, one day able to return to his friends, gnawing the rope that had separated them.

Silence filled the house.

Annabelle took a stroll outside, staring up at the millions of stars that were shining brightly in the night sky. It was like watching millions of fireflies dancing across a river. The moon was only half full, but it was still big and bright as ever.

Once she had finished her stroll, she went back inside, heading into the kitchen and picking up the phone that was hung upon the wall.

She dialled a number and waited until someone picked up.

"Hello?" a man answered. His voice was glitchy and it was a little hard to hear him due to the bad connection she has from living in a secluded area.

"Hello. It's Annabelle Harsh speaking."

"Oh Annabelle… what a familiar voice I'm hearing. Hold on for one moment."

Annabelle waited a couple of seconds before the man picked up the phone again, this time the connection was sounding a little better than before.

"I was expecting your call."

"That's good. I got a message that you wanted to speak with me." She said.

"That's right. I wanted to ask how the boy was doing. Allen Walker."

"He woke up three days ago. He doesn't remember anything except his name prier to him waking up. It may be a while—"

The man coughed and interrupted Annabelle in the middle of her sentence. "The Noah and the Exorcists know he's alive."

"What!" she exclaimed surprised. "But everyone deemed him as dead!"

"That's changed now. There is not much we can do about it. Please continue to care for him until I contact you. Goodbye."

_Beep beep beep beep_

Annabelle fell silent as she hung up the phone. She turned around and reached into a draw, pulling out a pack of smokes and stepped outside again, lighting one up and taking a phew quick puffs before blowing the smoke away.

"Oh Allen…" she said quietly and sighed. "Just when you were given the chance to know what true freedom and happiness feels like, the world manages to find a way to take it back."

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><p><strong>Preview:<strong>

"Che,"


	4. Secret Mission

**Disclaimer: I do not own D. Gray -Man.**

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><p><strong>Chapter 3: Secret Mission<strong>

* * *

><p>"That's changed now. There is not much we can do about it. Please continue to care for him until I contact you. Goodbye."<p>

The man hung up the phone and leaned back in his chair. Things were not going according to plan. He knew he wouldn't be able to hide Allen forever, but he expected more time than this. He _needed_ more time.

As he slowly closed his eyes to catch up on some lost sleep, the door to his office swung open,

"Supervisor Komui," Reever called out as he invited himself in. "Who was that on the phone?"

"Just an Exorcist reporting in on a mission." Komui replied.

"Oh, I see… have you heard about Bookman?"

"Yes, Central has told me everything. Please tell Lavi he must be ready to take his place. He will no longer be able to join in any fights from here on unless it is to save his life only."

"Do you honestly think he will follow those rules? Even Bookman said he wasn't ready yet,"

"I know." Komui cut off. "But I believe Lavi will uphold his promise to Bookman."

Reever sighed. There wasn't much else he could say without causing an uproar. Everyone in the Order had begun turning against the Supervisor – saying that he had betrayed the Exorcists well-being because of Central, but Reever knew Komui had no choice.

No longer was Komui as cheerful as he used to be. He stopped joking around a lot and actually concentrated on his work. He had been losing lots of sleep and not eating as healthy as he should. Of course, this worried Lenalee the most. She begged Komui to slow down, but he didn't listen. When she asked why he was doing all this he gave her the exact same answer each time, "I'm doing this for you" he would say. Lenalee couldn't respond to that. The only thing she could do was run to her room to cry tears for her brother. Oh how she wished everything would just go back to the way it used to be.

Komui sat in silence as he watched Reever take a pile of papers off his desk, piling more on top of each other in his arms until he couldn't carry any more.

He raised an eyebrow, but Reever simply smiled in return, "I'll be taking these."

"Feeling generous are we? Weren't you the one who always yelled at me to do my own work?" Komui mockingly responded.

"As a matter of fact, I am feeling generous. Without you dumping more work on the rest of us, we've had too much free time on our hands,"

"Isn't that a good thing, Reever-san?"

"It used to be, but…"

"But?" Komui waited.

"We don't have a sister that cries in her room each time we take on another workload. You should stop being so selfish, Supervisor" Reever smiled and then headed out the door, not waiting to see if Komui would reply.

Komui simply took his mug and sipped at his coffee. He was used to Reever yelling at him, but he wasn't used to him actually giving good advice on family matters. He couldn't help but wonder what happened to his or if he had any for that matter.

His thoughts were quickly interrupted when an irritated swordsman barged in the room, slamming the door shut as he walked over and plonked himself on the seat.

"Ah, Kanda-san. You finally decided to show up!" Komui said as cheerfully as possible. "Now what was it I called you here for again?"

"Don't play dumb!" Kanda hissed, noticeable signs of irritation in his voice. "You have a mission to give?"

"Ah, that's right!" Komui chuckled. "There is a mission I need you to take; however, I'm giving you a choice."

"Choice?" Kanda asked questionably.

Komui stood up and walked over to his map which he quickly slipped down, showing a chart of Romania. His facial expression showed he was being more serious than usual.

"I cannot say much to you right now, but, this mission will require discreteness. You will probably be gone for a long time and," Komui paused, taking in a deep breath. "I don't want to think of the consequences if either of us get caught."

"Che, so it's going against orders?"

"It's going against Central's."

"…" Kanda fell silent and waited for Komui to continue speaking,

"As I said before, I'm giving you a choice to take this mission."

"Calling me a coward?" Kanda hissed. "I'll take it."

Komui sighed, but smiled whilst doing so. He knew Kanda was the right person for this mission and had no doubt he would accept. "You will meet up with a fellow Exorcist in a town called Râmnicu Vâlcea in Wallachia, Romania. Her name is Annabelle Harsh. She will fill you in on the information I cannot."

"Huh" Kanda said softly. Turning around he made his way to the door, but stopped after hearing Komui call out to him one last time,

"Oh and Kanda!" Komui called out. "I'm putting all my trust in you."

Kanda didn't quite understand what he meant, but nodded and left the room. Being the way he normally is, he didn't waste any time saying goodbyes. Instead, he simply packed all his belongings and headed off to the train station.

He was granted the privilege to have one of the VIP carts to himself, allowing him the peace and quiet he prefers. Kanda stayed in contact with Komui for most of the trip. He gave Kanda a little information on where he was heading and what the Exorcist he was meeting looked like, but why he was going there still remained a mystery. Kanda didn't bother to pry on it though.

Once Kanda arrived in town the next day, he was asked to cut off all contact with the Order and that Komui will contact him if necessary. In case of an emergency, Komui explained that the Exorcist he would meet will have the availability, but it was highly not recommended. After sending away his golem, Kanda headed in to a small tavern, taking a seat at an empty table where he would wait for the Exorcist to show up.

Komui didn't give a good description, so it was going to be tough finding her amongst the crowd. The most distinctive feature he remembered Komui pointing out was that she had bright sky blue eyes – impossible to miss.

After waiting for at least an hour, a woman walked through the doors of the tavern. Kanda knew it was her immediately and not because of her eyes. Flying next to her was the noticeably annoying golden golem named Timcanpy. He couldn't help but wonder what she was doing with him, but ignored the idea as quickly as it came. Immediately she noticed the samurai, eyeing him down before walking over and sitting opposite him. Komui warned her of Kanda's personality, so she decided she would take on a fast approach. The last thing they needed was to start off on the wrong foot.

"As you have probably heard from Komui, I am the Exorcist you will be working with; Annabelle Harsh. I know you prefer working solo, so I assure, if it comes time that we need to fight, I won't get in your way." Quickly, Annabelle took a breath and smiled at Kanda softly as to not irritate him. "I will keep this as brief as possible."

Already Kanda was a tad impressed. However, despite what other people may think, or say, Kanda knew there was a catch. Never before had Komui gone out of his way to 'please' Kanda's preferences. First the VIP train cart, free luggage and money, brief meeting, and the Exorcist was bending to his will. Something was definitely up.

"As you probably know, this mission is secret and goes against Central's orders. In fact, Central doesn't even know about this so we have to be discrete. You won't be wearing your Exorcist uniform but instead you will wear normal clothes. Oh, and don't activate your innocence unless you are in immediate danger either,"

"What's the catch?" Kanda finally spoke.

"Catch? What catch?"

"Komui would not go out of his way to organise this for no reason. Why did he want me to come out here?"

Annabelle fell silent for a moment, her smile leaving her face as she thought of how to answer. "Komui did warn me about something, but we will get to that later. For now, come with me, Exorcist Kanda."

Not prying on the matter any further, Kanda grabbed his luggage and followed Annabelle out of the tavern. She led him to a garments store, telling him to find some comfortable clothes to wear as the weather here can be unpredictable at times. Once he had bought what he needed, Kanda changed so he was now wearing a white long-shirt that buttoned up at the front, having his sleeves rolled up to half way with dark navy blue pants and black boots.

Whilst Kanda was getting changed, Annabelle went in to town and got postages and letters from the post office, though they all appeared to be fake. Once they were ready, the two hopped on to Annabelle's carriage and made their way back to where they would be staying.

Kanda was still bothered that he did not know the actual goal of the mission. Judging by the baron town and lack of graves in the cemetery he passed, it seemed the town was not under threat of any Akuma. Annabelle had not mentioned any strange occurrences either so he assumed innocence were not the cause, so what were they doing there?

"What's the point of this?" Kanda finally exclaimed, a touch of impatience in his voice.

"The point of the mission?"

He nodded.

"You will see soon enough, Kanda," Annabelle replied with a smirk. "For now I want to clear one thing up with you. You and I are distant cousins and your family has just died causing you to lose your farm which is why you're coming to live with me."

"Wha—! "

"Don't ask questions, just follow my lead."

Grunting, Kanda sat back and kept quiet for the rest of the trip. There was no use arguing about it, for it seemed he would know soon enough the purpose of this mission.

The trip was about two hours long, leaving Kanda with a stiff back. Once he jumped off the carriage, Annabelle heard him crack his back all the way from the other side. That's what he gets for sitting in one spot without moving for so long.

The sun was high in the sky with no clouds stretching on for miles. It was the definition of a perfect day.

"Let's go, Kanda, time to meet the family." Annabelle smiled. "First, I want you to help me carry in this load. I'm sure you're a lot stronger than I am…"

"Che,"

Walking around to the back of the carriage, Kanda grabbed hold of two large boxes, both weighing fairly heavy, but managed to carry them both to the door of the house showing no signs of struggle.

"Just leave them out here," she said as Annabelle fiddled with the keys to the door. "Now go and grab the others."

With a noticeable huff, Kanda went ahead and grabbed the rest of the boxes, piling them up just outside the front door. Annabelle waited until he was finished before she invited him to come in with his luggage.

"We're a bit low on space so I'm afraid you'll have to settle with a futon in the lounge room." Annabelle chuckled.

"Whatever…" Kanda responded coldly as usual.

"Alright then, now if you don't mind waiting here for a sec, I'll go round up the others…"

"Fine"

"Oh, Kanda, one more thing."

"What?"

"Remember that Komui is putting all his trust in you, so please, do your best."

Again with the trust thing? Kanda was a little ticked off that it had been said twice to him yet he had no idea of the meaning. As Annabelle left the room, Kanda had a look at his surroundings. It was a medium sized room containing two red couches and a large rug on the floor with various colours and designs. Ahead of him was an arch wall that leads into the dining and kitchen, which wasn't that big either.

"Boys! I'm back!" Annabelle called out from outside.

Kanda could faintly hear voices calling back to her, but didn't recognise what they were saying. It wasn't until he heard the footsteps and deep breaths of the boys that got closer that he could actually hear them.

"Mama! You're back! Did you pick up cousin Kanda?" a young child's voice called out in between breaths.

"I can't wait to meet him!" the other said. His voice sounding a bit older than the other, but not old enough to be an adult.

But wait. Was Kanda hearing things? He could've sworn he just heard that annoying moyashi's voice call out. Quickly shaking his head, he removed the very thought of it and waited for them to come inside.

After a few more exchange of words, Annabelle and the other two figures followed her in, anxiously waiting to meet the new arrival.

"Jeffery, Allen, this is my cousin, Kanda. He will be staying with us for a while."

"Kanda!" Jeffery called out with delight, running up to him but not daring to give him a hug. Instead he just jumped up and down with a big grin on his face.

Allen then revealed himself from behind the wall of the arch. For once in Kanda's life, he was gobsmacked, and actually, happy to see he was alive – not that he would ever admit it.

"Hello Kanda-san," Allen bowed, then held out his hand for a shake. "My name is Allen Walker. I'm pleased to meet you."

Kanda took a step back, ignoring Allen's kind gesture for a handshake. He thought over of what he could possibly say, but no matter what he thought of and despite the cold glare he was getting from Annabelle for being so quiet for so long, Kanda could only manage to say one thing,

"Moyashi"

* * *

><p><strong>Preview:<strong>

"Do you hate me?"


End file.
